


Cleaning Days

by jotc



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2013-10-04
Packaged: 2017-12-28 10:10:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/990794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jotc/pseuds/jotc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Hermann Gottlieb wanted was a clean lab space of his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cleaning Days

**Author's Note:**

> fill for kinkmeme prompt: Hermann and Newt getting it on while remaining entirely on their own sides of the lab. Can be hatesex, voyeurism, a game they play as part of their relationship - totally up to authornon!
> 
> Edited to add: I realized I was remiss in not including warnings. Initial incident involves a character exposing himself and masturbating without consent. See notes for more details if you have concerns.

Hermann—no, make that _Doctor_ Hermann Gottlieb if you would be so kin—did not ask for much. All he wanted was one small space of his own where he could do his work free of kaiju entrails, specimen racks, stray lab coats, stacks of paperwork not his own, packs of other people’s bubble gum, boxes of unpacked lab reagents, stray bits of packing peanuts, and most importantly _kaiju entrails_.

He understood that Dr. Geiszler’s work required more space than his own, but that was no excuse. The last time their arguments over workspace devolved into a screaming match, they had come to an agreement and laid down the tape line. The boundary fully incorporated space for Dr. Geiszler’s equipment. Then followed a blissful period of freedom during which Dr. Gottlieb’s life no longer required inspection of every square surface of his workspace before stepping, sitting, or writing upon it.

It lasted two weeks. Two lovely, lovely weeks. Then Dr. Gottlieb arrived to work one morning to find the lab in chaos. The Wei triplets had managed to bring back fresh tissue samples from their last encounter, and evidently Dr. Geiszler had apparently pulled an all-nighter in order to process them as fast as possible. The man’s hair splayed out at all angles, the lab smelled of bleach and agar, and the sleepy squint of Dr. Geiszler’s eyes spoke of deep fatigue. Dr. Gottlieb felt a wave of sympathy. “Dr. Geiszler,” he said in acknowledgment.

Then he saw the stack of Dr. Geiszler’s books upon his desk.

“This is how it begins,” he announced morbidly.

“Oh hey, Hermann! Good morning. Is it morning all ready? Oh yeah, sorry, I lost track of time! I’ll just move those. I planned to have them out of your way by the time you got up.”

“They should not be present at all! You should not have to move them, for you should never have placed them there to begin with!”

“Dude! They’re just books. Nothing squishy, I promise. Look, I’m moving them now.”

As it began, so it continued. Dr. Geiszler’s violations grew more frequent and more egregious every day. He always offered an apology, but his apology was always devoid of any true remorse and promised no intention of future improvement. If pressed, he became defensive and resentful.

Things came to a head when Dr. Gottlieb found an irregular bleach stain marring his desk. Not only would he have to look at that stain every time he sat down to work, he would also have to wonder exactly what Dr. Geiszler had placed there such that the man needed to bleach it away later. Just staring at the stain left him too furious to speak. When he finally found his voice, he resolved to make it clear for once and for all that Dr. Geiszler’s behavior was not acceptable. The tape line served no purpose if it was not honored. But rather than acknowledge his fault, Dr. Geiszler lost his temper as well, and the two of them ended up red-faced and screaming.

“It’s perfectly clean!” Dr. Geiszler shouted. “It’s cleaner than when I started! You don’t even write at your desk, you use the chalkboards for that, but you act like you’re going to rub your dick on it! Like any stray particle of… of not-Hermann will get all over your precious dick, which you only get off because of your own math and God forbid you ever get exposed to anything human!”

“If I DID wish to,” Dr. Gottlieb shouted back, “if at any moment I DID wish to rub my dick on my desk, I should be able to do so! Because it is my desk and I should be able to use it however I please, secure in the knowledge that no one has-”

“Oh God, you’re taking me seriously! You are seriously actually acting like your desk is ever going to touch your dick! Dude, can you even hear yourself? My point is-”

“Your point is yet another justification of your own lack of courtesy!”

“You know what? FUCK your desk, man! You never even use-”

“How I use or don’t use it is my business, because it is my desk! You have no idea what I do or don’t use it for! At any moment-”

Dr. Geiszler rolled his eyes and repeated back, “At any moment-”

In a moment of incandescent fury, Dr. Gottlieb unzipped his pants. He yanked them down to his hips, yanked down his underwear as well, and grabbed his penis.

Dr. Geiszler’s flow of words cut off abruptly.

“If I wish to rub my dick on my desk, I shall do so!” Dr. Gottlieb yelled. And then his brain caught up to his actions. He realized in a flood of panic that he was now actually in the wrong. Dr. Geiszler could file a complaint on him for sexual harassment, and it would be deserved. He could get fired. He could get reprimanded. He could get sent to counseling, which might in fact be worse than being fired, for if anyone attempted to discuss this with him, he would surely die.

Dr. Geiszler stared at him bug-eyed. He had evidently not yet gotten over the shock. Surely in a moment, horrified repulsion would follow. Even Dr. Geiszler had his limits.

Then again, they always did forgive each other a great deal. Dr. Gottlieb would surely not have tolerated such slovenly work habits from any other person. Nor was Dr. Gottlieb one to rely on Human Resources or other formalities. However, Dr. Gottlieb felt completely certain of one fact. If he let on just how embarrassed he was at this precise moment, he would never be able to look Dr. Geiszler in the eye again.

Dr. Geiszler— _Newton_ —had not stopped staring. Really, the ability to silence Newton for even a moment was one to be savored. And if this came to trouble, he was already in it, so to speak. Though he was not much of a gambler, Dr. Gottlieb decided to take a chance.

“You can scarcely know what I do or don’t do when you’re not about,” he said. His voice trembled a bit. He gently squeezed his penis, which began obediently to firm up. The body does not always know terror from desire. Newton could lecture him on the many ways in which adrenalin is processed, and the thought made him firm up more. “I could be doing this every evening,” he continued. “Perhaps every night after you have gone, I slip back into the lab and sit right here…” As he spoke, he grabbed a clean lab coat and placed it on his chair. He eased himself into it, one hand on his penis the entire time. “Perhaps night after night, I pleasure myself and you never know, because I keep my workspace immaculately clean. Cleanliness is important, don’t you agree? My hands touch things, and yours do as well, and then my hands touch the things which your hands have touched. Any source of contamination can be spread about, and one would hardly wish to expose one’s most delicate member, would one?”

Newton had not ceased staring. To be the subject of his undivided attention was most headying. Dr. Gottlieb— _Hermann_ —stroked himself firmly. He had no lubricant to hand, for despite his speech, he had never dreamed of engaging in such activities in his workspace before today. He resorted to spit-not the most ideal substance, but adequate given the circumstances.

“Biological activities are of course inherently messy,” he said. “I do understand that, Newton, though you may think that I don’t. Biology is fascinating, really. The math of it is a true challenge. Full of intertwined systems. I know you appreciate my own work as well. How could you not? Twentieth century biology is flourishing under the processing power of computers, and much of the best results comes from knowing how to sift through masses of data. The issue is not generating raw observations, but in finding significance in the patterns, and what is math if not a search for patterns? But here in my lab I must have a certain degree of order. For example, I could never engage in this activity if I were not secure in the knowledge that I am in my own space, behind my own boundary. Yes, it is merely a strip of tape and easily crossed…”

His voice was growing rough, and his words came with little breathy gasps between them. He ought to stop, but Newton still stared at him in slack-jawed astonishment. He wasn’t quite sure exactly what he said as he finished. He had no towel to hand, but he managed to pull up his underwear at the key moment and thus keep the mess mostly contained.

“Even in the face of biology, we must maintain standards,” he said, keeping up the facade of stern-faced arrogance to the last. Newton nodded, still silent and wide-eyed. He zipped himself back up, donned a lab coat to conceal the seeping splotch, and walked out of the lab with his head held high and his step firm. Back in his quarters, he collapsed into hysterical laughter.

He didn’t think that Newton would report him, but he couldn’t be sure. But whatever was to come, hiding in his quarters would not do. He changed clothing, took an early lunch, then marched himself back into the lab. All traces of Dr. Geiszler’s equipment had been removed from his workspace. Dr. Geislzer’s own space was perceptibly cleaner. The lab could not quite be called spotless, but it was certainly improved.

“I cleaned up,” Newton said nervously.

Well. Hermann wasn’t entirely certain if Newton meant that as apology or thank-you, but either was welcome. “Thank you, Newton,” Hermann said calmly, taking care not to reveal just how fast his heart was racing. The two of them went about their work, and said nothing more about it.

#

The first time had come about due to a momentary lapse of control, but the second time took courage. Hermann knew quite well what he was up to. He waited nearly a month after the initial incident. During that time, Newton had been better about keeping his workspace clean, although Newton’s clutter still crept over the line from time to time.

Hermann chose a day when they were both well rested and relatively unpressed. He started the morning by cleaning his workspace. First he sorted through his books and professional magazines. He kept them well organized, but even he needed to restore order to his bookshelves once in a while. As he worked, he found one or two small items belonging to Newton, and passed them over the line without criticism. Newton apologized nervously. Hermann merely nodded.

Then Hermann took out broom, mop, windex, rags, and began to clean in earnest.

“We have janitorial staff for that, you know,” Newton pointed out.

“Indeed. They do well enough considering the scope of their duties, but I have my own standards, which are considerably higher.”

“Um, yeah. Right. Okay.”

Newton began to clean his space as well. Since Newton’s lab was larger and contained much more in the way of equipment, and since he was by nature less orderly, Newton’s task was the greater one. However, he did not resort to broom or mop, and he made reasonable progress. He chattered as he worked, but he spoke only about his latest theories on kaiju cell regeneration. He appeared nervous and agitated.

When at last Hermann’s lab space shone and Newton’s space had ceased to be a pedestrian hazard, Hermann spoke. “You know I have a special reason for valuing cleanliness in the lab,” he began.

Newton nodded, eyes wide.

“I do so appreciate you cleaning up today. You needn’t, of course. What you do on your side of the tape is your own business. But I do admire the sight of an orderly lab.”

Hermann walked past Newton, taking care not to rush. His cane clacked on the floor; one, two, three steps to the door. He locked it. He drew the blinds on the lab’s only window. Only then did he turn back to his own space, and in so doing allow himself to look at Newton’s face.

Newton stared at him, jaw slightly open.

Hermann walked over to his chair, removed his sweater vest, and lay it over the back. He then removed his shoes and socks. Pants came next. Hermann would not have done this for just anyone. He knew quite well that he did not fit standard conventions of beauty. As a child, he had been in a car accident. The damage left a thick, tangled mass of bubbled flesh on his hip and two straight lines of surgical scars on his knee.

But this was Newton. He looked at kaiju and saw art. Whatever he thought of Hermann, he would certainly not be scared off by a scar or two. Nevertheless, habits of thought die hard, and Hermann’s hands began to sweat. The churning mass of anxiety was not nearly as erotic as last time’s rage-terror stew, and the thought of stripping in front of Newton only to remain entirely flaccid left him more anxious yet.

Nevertheless, he was determined to persist.

“I do so appreciate that you respect my space,” he continued. “What I do on my side of the tape line is my own business, and of course the same is true of yours. I should never dream of interfering.”

He folded his pants precisely, stalling for time. He glanced over at Newton, who was staring at him intently. Newton’s face screwed up in a most puzzling way, then he choked out, “Um, yeah. Of course.” Newton then proceeded to undo his own zipper.

Interesting. His own dick evidently had opinions about this. Good, he had something to work with. He removed his underwear entirely, placed a clean lab coat upon his chair, and sat down. Newton, having liberated his erection, hastily stripped off his shoes as well. Newton then stared at him, but made no move to either remove any more clothing or touch himself.

Well, he could hardly ask. Besides, it would be sheer ingratitude to complain that Newton had not displayed his penis when Newton was presenting such a lovely sight in other ways. Newton’s face was flushed, his breath came quickly, and his jaw hung open, and best of all, he stared. Hermann had not realized in himself such a craving to be stared at.

He began to stroke himself. Newton whimpered. This time, Hermann had come prepared with lubricant and with two towels—one for the moment, and one for the aftermath. Working steadily under Newton’s watchful eye, he brought himself to climax.

Newton, to his disappointment, zipped himself back up without making a move to satisfy himself. Newton then stammered out some excuse or other and vanished. He came back a short time later, looking flushed and satisfied. How odd, Hermann thought, that of the two, it was Newton who was shy.

#

“Shall we make it a cleaning day?” Newton said hopefully.

Because Newton was his lab partner and not a dog to be trained, Hermann had not linked his displays with the state of the lab. Rather, he chose his moments based on a complex set of factors which he himself would be hard-pressed to explain. If the lab was already sufficiently clean, he thanked Newton for keeping it so. If it was not, he got out the cleaning supplies. Newton always joined him in cleaning up, and he always finished by bringing himself off.

On his fourth go, Newton finally joined in. Newton waited to touch himself until Hermann had finished. Then his hand drifted down and began quick, almost furtive strokes. Hermann sat in a haze of bliss and watched every movement. Newton blushed fiercely. Even his neck was red. After that, Newton joined him every time.

But this was the first time Newton had solicited their… extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, his timing was awful. For three days Hermann had worked himself to the limit trying to fix an issue with the new Jaeger programming. The new joint mechanism on the Jaegers hadn’t been interfacing with the neural link as smoothly as it should, and he’d wanted it improved immediately. He’d put in long hours, some of which involved climbing about the Jaeger mechanism. When he finally finished late the previous night, he’d collapsed into bed without doing the stretches that kept his leg limber.

He was paying for it now. His leg ached fiercely and his entire body felt heavy with exhaustion. He’d tried to hide it. Evidently he’d been a bit too successful. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say plainly that he was in no condition to proceed. Hermann never liked to complain of his difficulties; either no one cared or they cared too much. But Newton’s face was already crumbling into awkward embarrassment, and he had to say something. He decided to improvise a bit.

“The lab is actually quite clean,” Hermann said reflectively. “In fact, it’s clean enough to eat in.”

It was, too. For all his faults, Newton was impeccable when it came to safety concerns.

“Perhaps I’ll just make myself a cup of tea and relax a bit,” he continued. He sat and began to remove his shoes. The left one came off hard; his foot had swollen. He tugged it free, and pants followed shoes. He contemplated the hazards of spilling hot liquid on his privates and left underwear in place. He removed his shirt. Then he began to microwave water.

“The ritual suffers a bit, but we must be adaptable,” he said. “Tea goes well with a good book, but tea goes with so many other things too.”

Newton watched wide eyed as always as Hermann brewed his tea. Then Hermann sat down, sipped his tea, and eyed him back. Moving slowly, Newton undid his shirt.

For the first time, Newton did not rush through things. He undressed fully. Hermann cast an admiring eye over Newton’s tattoos. Hermann himself would never have gotten one, but they reflected Newton’s personality, and so he could not help but appreciate them. Newton embraced his passions so wholeheartedly.

Newton performed in silence; or perhaps a more precise description would be without words. Sex appeared to be a most consistent way of shutting him up, though Hermann paradoxically found himself missing Newton’s usual chatter. He would have liked to know what Newton was thinking. Still, at least he had nothing to distract him from the view. Newton had a beautiful penis. But more than that, Newton had a beautiful face when he gave himself over to pleasure. He moaned and gasped for breath as though he’d never been touched before. Hermann’s own penis fluttered, interested as always, but he knew his body well enough to know he was best off not trying to act on it tonight. He made no move to touch himself, instead choosing merely to admire the sight.

When Newton finished, Hermann said, “Thank you, Newton. I did so enjoy my cup of tea.”

Newton muttered something unintelligible and dressed in haste.

#

Newton’s latest mad scheme differed from his others in that he could _fry his brain_ if he pursued it. They fought in the no-holds-barred way that Hermann thought had come to an end. Hermann realized just how little Newton cared for his objections when Newton splattered kaiju parts carelessly on his floor. Even so, he was unprepared to find Newton seizing on the floor.

The worst part came when he stripped away the neural bridge device and Newton continued to spasm in his arms. But a close second came when Major Pentecost told Newton to _do it again._ But in the aftermath, Hermann had to admit something unpleasant. Newton had been right to take the risk. Hermann had tried to put his own selfish fears above the fate of all humanity. Even so, he could not bear the thought of Newton repeating the experiment.

And then a solution came to him. When Newton called demanding a neural bridge, Hermann brought the equipment himself and insisted on joining him. He wasn’t sure which scared him more; the thought of drifting with a kaiju or the thought of revealing the inner workings of his mind to Newton. And yet, in spite of the risks, an odd giddiness filled him. He fumbled his way through a handshake and then he helped save the world.

Afterward, Hermann did not want to let him go. By rights he ought to allow Newton to enjoy the party that followed upon canceling the apocalypse, but he did not care to be fair. He dragged Newton to medical and made him get checked out. Then he dragged him to the showers.

“I would argue about your priorities, but even I know I reek,” Newton said ruefully.

Hermann smiled slightly. “It was my own reek that upset me, but I wanted the company.”

Newton blushed appealingly. But despite their history, Newton turned away as he stripped. How odd that he was still shy, Hermann thought. Yet Hermann could not deny a streak of shyness in himself as well. He felt exposed, laid bare, and yet light and giddy with freedom.

Tonight of all nights knew no limits.

Or at least no limits of the mind. Hermann was uncertain of his ability to stay upright through a session of shower sex, and besides, if they would touch tonight (surely they would touch), he wished to do so at his leisure.

Hermann dragged Newton back to his quarters. “I must take it upon myself to make sure you don’t expire in your sleep,” he said.

“Dude, didn’t you listen? The doc said I’m fine.”

“Yes, well, I wish to make my own assessment.”

He wished more than that, but Newton fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Hermann crawled in next to him. Newton did not protest, if he even noticed. Well. It wasn’t precisely what he had hoped for, but there were worse ways to spend the evening.

He didn’t expect to sleep, but he must have, because a dream of the Anteverse woke him. He gasped for breath. Newton stared down at him.

“Are we going to have sex now?” Newton asked hopefully. “That was the deal. If I saved the world, you would have sex with me.”

Hermann blinked and tried to orient himself. His brain had yet to reconcile disparate inputs. He hadn’t quite made sense of things when Newton started babbling.

“Oh, God, did I say that? I didn’t mean it. That was, like, a fantasy. I know you never said that. Dude, I’m not an idiot, I know that’s not how the world works, it’s just this thing I used to—”

This was not fair. He had Newton in bed and nearly naked. Newton should be enjoying himself. Hermann scraped up his remaining brain cells and reverted to his familiar role.

“If you will but be silent for one moment, I shall answer your question,” he said.

Newton’s mouth clamped shut hard, as though he were afraid that a stray syllable might escape and jinx the answer. Hermann sat up and made a show of stretching. He’d stressed his body, but all in all he was doing fairly well.

“My full answer is perhaps a bit lengthy, but I shan’t keep you in undue suspense. Yes, I do believe we are going to have sex now.” As he spoke, he began to explore Newton’s body. He began with Newton’s feet. He traced the soles with his fingernails, measuring the effect against Newton’s expression. Hard enough not to tickle, not so hard as to cause pain. He then massaged them firmly. He continued talking as he worked.

“That first day in the lab, I astonished myself. I had not allowed myself to realize that I found you attractive. I have never let myself lose control quite so spectacularly. It was wrong of me to lose my temper so, and yet I cannot bring myself to apologize, for I treasure too dearly what came of it.”

He worked his way up the calves. Newton had nice calves; firm but not unyielding. He then ghosted his fingers over Newton’s kneecaps. Newton flinched away, which meant he had touched too lightly. He tried again with a firmer stroke. Newton remained silent save for the occasional whimper of pleasure.

“Do you know what it did to me to be the subject of your undivided attention? To have you gaze upon me with desire? It drove me quite mad. I had grown weary of masturbation, you know. It worked well enough to relieve the pressure, but it drove home how lonely I was, and how little I anticipated that to change. But you who never can think a single thought at once, you focused all of that attention not on a dozen distractions, but on me. Do you know what that did to me? If I did not reveal myself often, well, I can assure you that I thought of it daily. Perhaps hourly. Fantasies about those nights got me through many difficult days.”

He worked his way up Newton’s thighs. But rather than proceed to the penis, he shifted to Newton’s head. He took a break from lecturing to give Newton a long, sweet kiss. He ran his fingers through Newton’s hair, and showered kisses upon his neck and stomach. He could feel Newton’s penis pressed against his leg.

“We might perhaps have had sex long before now. Certainly I was willing. I suspect you were as well. But I do not consider those long nights wasted. It is traditional, is it not, for relationships which are valued to involve some length of courtship? Perhaps the courtship itself was a trifle unconventional, but we are unconventional people. You obviously so, but I too in my own way.”

And then he had to cease speaking, for he had other uses for his mouth. He sucked briefly on Newton’s nipples, then turned his attention to Newton’s penis. It had been some time since Hermann had given a blow job, but he still remembered the basics. He eased into it, first licking the shaft, then the head, and finally taking it into his mouth. Newton was already rock hard. Newton grabbed at his shoulders and began to thrust. Newton’s breath came in rapid gasps. He came with an inarticulate shout. Hermann swallowed the results, then lay next to Newton to admire his work. He had never seen the man look quite so relaxed and content.

“My turn,” Newton said.

“No hurries.”

“Um. Yeah, sure, but I want to. Before I fall asleep, I mean. And its like my turn to make a speech. I guess you already found out I had this fantasy. I used it to like spur me on and stuff. You know, when I got discouraged. I’d think, go save the world, and then everyone will be happy and Hermann will have sex with you. That was, um, that was before you…”

“Mmm,” Hermann said. Newton was running his hands over Hermann’s chest, alternating between massaging his stiff muscles and teasing and tweaking the nipples.

“I never expected that! You coulda shoved a sock in my mouth that day. I enjoyed it though. Like, a lot. I was afraid to say anything for fear you’d stop. Dude, you are so hot. Do you know what I like best? When you glare at the chalkboard. Like you can stare the numbers into submission. That’s the best. That’s kind of how you looked that first day. I loved the attitude, man, and I guess I suspected all along that you were bluffing just a little. God, I suck at pillow talk.”

“Really?” Hermann said a bit breathlessly. “I thought you were doing rather well.”

Newton laughed shakily. “Oh, good. I was afraid I’d stuck my foot in my mouth. But what I meant was that knowing you were faking some of that attitude just made it hotter. You know what I mean?”

“I do,” Hermann admitted. "

“Good, but I still suck at pillow talk, so from here on you just need to just use your imagination, all right?”

And then Hermann’s world was dismantled for the second time that day. He had no words. No words at all.

As he drifted off to sleep, he looked over at Newton and realized that even now, they still found themselves shy, hesitant yet eager to look in each others eyes.

“I love you, of course,” Hermann said quietly. “I have for quite some time.”

“Dude, me too,” Newton said.

“Ah, I suppose I am doomed to be ‘dude’ for the rest of my life now.”

“Dude, we are never going to stop arguing, are we?”

“Almost never,” Hermann pointed out, smiling. “I do have one reliable way to silence you.”

“And you’re one to talk. All this time, and you still won’t call me what I asked you to.”

“Newt,” he said. He smiled in the face of Newt’s slack-jawed astonishment. “What can I say? It’s a night for firsts.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, half the time I'm shy about even leaving comments on other people's explicit work, and here I went and wrote one of my own, AND decided to fess up and put my name on it! This is a first for me.
> 
> Edited to add warning notes: Initially, Hermann exposes himself for shock value as part of an argument. He then regrets this, but rather than apologize or back down, he attempts to turn his act into one of seduction, in a rather messed up way. After that, the dynamic shifts towards mutual participation and then toward romance. I was remiss not to warn from the start- I hope no one who read it was upset, but if you were you have my apology!


End file.
